Midnight Meeting
by somethingcoolmusic
Summary: Jess comes to find Rory in the middle of the night.
1. Snowflakes

Title: Midnight Meeting Author: Sirius Rating: PG Spoilers: None Pairing: R/J Summary: Jess comes to find Rory in the middle of the night. (Not much of a summary, but it's the best I could do.)  
  
Rory Gilmore sat at her desk; her computer opened to a Word document, and her hands on the keyboard, thoughtfully considering what to write next. She had promised herself that when she finished this essay on "The Effects Andrew Jackson Had On Democracy Today" she would take a break. Good Charlotte's "Anthem" played quietly in the background as she typed her conclusion. There, she thought, that's enough for tonight. I'll edit it tomorrow.  
  
She closed the document and fell back on her bed exhaustedly. Her mother walked in and said goodnight. Rory stayed up till midnight reading "Howl," her new favorite book since she'd met Jess. Just as the clock on her nightstand was switching from 11:59 to 12:00, Rory heard a soft knock on her window.  
  
Surprised, she looked up to see Jess smiling warmly at her from outside. His breath was coming out in puffy clouds before him and he held his jacket tightly around his chest to protect himself from the chilling air. Rory hurried to the window and let him in. After climbing through, Jess stood in the middle of her room and vigorously rubbed his hands together to warm them.  
  
"Jess, what are you doing here? It's freezing outside." Rory wrapped him in her arms in an effort to stop his shivers.  
  
"I couldn't wait till tomorrow to see you."  
  
Rory pulled back from her embrace and looked her bright sapphire eyes into his deep chocolate ones, and she saw a softness in them that wasn't visible around anyone but her. She could break down all the walls Jess had constructed to protect himself from getting hurt, and she was left with a vulnerable man. In his brown eyes, Rory could see the sincere love that he had for her. Neither of them had admitted their feelings to each other or to themselves, but they both seemed to understand. After concentrating his gaze into her eyes for a few sweet moments, Jess slipped his arms back around her waist and held her to his chest again.  
  
" Come here," he whispered to her as he brought her close. "Can you come out tonight?"  
  
"My mom just went to bed, so yeah, I think I can."  
  
"Go get changed into something really warm." Jess smiled mischievously at her and watched her as she added layer after layer to her pajamas.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"Yup," Rory replied as she pulled a knit cap over her hair and down past her ears.  
  
Jess slipped through the window and out onto the porch before reaching his hand back through the frame to help Rory through. Confused, Rory looked from his hand and up to her eyes before finally asking Jess why he used the window when they had perfect access to the front door.  
  
"It adds to the experience," he replied nonchalantly and shrugged.  
  
"Oh," Rory said more to herself than to Jess.  
  
She accepted his hand and climbed out the window. After making sure the window was securely shut, the couple headed out hand in hand to a destination neither knew.  
  
~*~  
  
The streets of Stars Hollow were lit up beautifully with Christmas lights as the pair strolled quietly. It was weeks after Christmas but the town couldn't stop celebrating yet. Taking down the strings of light was like going to a funeral to the townspeople.  
  
"Where are we going?" Rory asked, finally giving in to the nagging curiosity running through her head.  
  
"Um, I'm not really sure. How about here?" Jess led Rory up into the gazebo and sat down next to her on a bench, never letting go of her hand in the process. He turned to face her and gathered her small hands in his. Rory saw the same sweetness in his eyes that she had seen earlier that night and she got a chill up her spine. He slowly leaned forward to kiss her and she felt his breath tickle her lips before he closed the gap between them. The cold air that had engulfed the pair moments before had suddenly disappeared and was replaced with nothing. Nothing and nobody except each other existed to either teen in that moment when their lips touched. Nothing else was important. Nobody else mattered. After a minute of kissing, Jess pulled back and searched Rory's eyes. She noticed he looked a little anxious and it soon rubbed off onto her.  
  
"What?" Rory's voice was soft but had a hint of concern within in because Jess' eyes were still fixed on hers. He continued staring for a minute or so and then the silence really started to bother Rory.  
  
"What?" she asked again, this time with a little more anxiety added.  
  
"Nothing," Jess replied thoughtfully, sitting back on the bench and continuing to scare Rory because he hadn't replied. Silence stampeded around them but it was one they'd grown accustomed to. Rory sat back on the bench and Jess put his strong arm around her, pulling her softly until she settled up next to his chest. He sighed in a deeply content way and her head bobbed as he moved. She giggled and looked up at him with a shy grin while sitting up.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" Rory whispered to him.  
  
Jess let out a big breath that clouded in front of him before slowly disintegrating in every direction. He looked up at the stars the back at Rory who sat waiting beside him.  
  
"You." He didn't smile or frown, but his face held a calm look.  
  
"And I should feel."  
  
"How do you want to feel?"  
  
"Good."  
  
"You got it."  
  
Jess leaned in and kissed her softly two short times before pulling back and taking something out of his jacket pocket.  
  
"I wanted to give this to you."  
  
Rory looked down at the small rectangular box in total shock. It wasn't her birthday, it was not even her half birthday, it wasn't their anniversary, Valentine's Day, or any other special occasion she could think of. Why did he get her something?  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Open it."  
  
Rory eagerly took the box from him and looked it over. It was a small white box with a stick-on silver bow. She unstuck the bow and put in on Jess' head. He gave her an annoyed look when she giggled, but he didn't move to take off the bow in his anxiousness for her to open it. Rory slid off the top of the box to reveal a thin silver necklace with a snowflake charm hanging from it.  
  
"Oh, Jess, it's beautiful." She held it out in front of her and marveled at how the streetlights of Stars Hollow reflected off of it. "Will you help me put it on?"  
  
"Sure." A smiling Jess took the slender chain from her and wrapped it around her neck, pausing a moment to struggle with the tiny clasp. When she looked up at him to see his expression, Jess' deep brown eyes met hers and lingered there for a while before they both snapped back to reality.  
  
"Thank you so much Jess."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
"What's it for?"  
  
"I dunno. To show you how much you mean to me. How much I've appreciated you being here for me lately. How much I care about you." Jess hugged her close and kissed the top of her head.  
  
"I care about you too." Rory looked up at him, having a hard time believing how close they'd gotten in the past few months that they'd been going out. Things had been wonderful after they had gotten over a rough beginning.  
  
"Come on, let's get you home now. It's getting really cold out now."  
  
"Aw, I don't wanna go home yet." Rory gave Jess her best pouty face and he laughed.  
  
"You wanna go get a cup of coffee first then?"  
  
"Yeah!" Rory started off at a run towards the diner yelling over her shoulder. "You can't catch me!"  
  
"Oh yes I can!" Jess ran after her and followed her as she raced around the gazebo. Finally, she slowed down and Jess caught a hold of her arm. They both fell down into the snow, laughing at their childish act. Jess couldn't help but notice how pretty Rory looked with her rosy cheeks, disorderly hair, and snowflaked eyelashes. He raised his hand to move a piece of her hair out of her face so he could see her better.  
  
"You have snowflakes on your eyelashes."  
  
"I do?" She moved to wipe them away but Jess grabbed her hand.  
  
"Don't, it's cute." Rory blushed fiercely and eyed him shyly. He laughed and kissed her quickly on the lips. "Let's go to Luke's."  
  
Jess stood up and took her hand to help her up. They walked hand in hand to the diner where Rory plopped down at a stool. Jess started a pot of coffee before he sat down next to her.  
  
"So, what were you up to today?"  
  
"Oh, the usual. I had school, it's Friday thank God, and mom had work. We met up at the Inn and I worked for a few hours. Ate dinner in from Al's. How bout you?"  
  
"School for me too. Luke had me work till close today. Read a little bit of Blameless Neighbor, then came to see you. "  
  
"What's Blameless Neighbor about? I haven't heard of it."  
  
"Oh wow, it's great. Basically this guy gets murdered and everyone thinks it was his next door neighbor who did it because they had a fight the night before. See, he's the only suspect but it can't possibly be him because he was in a different state visiting his girlfriend for the weekend. I haven't finished it yet, so I don't know who did it, but my money's on his secretary."  
  
"Whoa, sounds good. I'll have to borrow that from you when you're done."  
  
"You bet."  
  
The coffeepot beeped in the background and Jess went to fill them each up a to-go cup.  
  
"It's getting late. I'll walk you home."  
  
They both stood up and Jess walked around the counter to help her on with her coat. Then, after each had bundled up with their coffee in their hands, Jess opened the door and the couple stepped out into the bitter cold.  
  
Rory and Jess walked in silence for a few minutes down the streets of Stars Hollow. The only sound in the town was of the snow crunching beneath their boots. The coffees were soon discarded in one of Stars Hollow's many centrally located trash bins placed strategically by Taylor. Both their minds were scattered on random topics and it was Rory that spoke up first.  
  
"Thanks for bringing me out tonight." She looked up at him shyly when he looked started from the sound of her voice.  
  
"Oh, no problem Ror."  
  
"I meant what I said earlier. About you, I mean." Rory looked nervous but she knew that she needed to get it out in the open. Or, as 'open' as she could bear to have it.  
  
"So did I." Jess' voice was soft and he avoided her eyes while continuing to stare at the snow collecting on the ground.  
  
Rory fingered the necklace Jess had given her as her thoughts wandered to her and Jess and their future. It was hard to guess what was going to happen between them since neither was ready to let the other know what they meant to them. It wasn't for fear that the other wouldn't feel the same way, it was jut more that they were comfortable where they stood and they weren't sure whether or not saying it would jeopardize their security. Deep down they both knew that it could only make their relationship better when they did admit it, but still neither had.  
  
The couple reached the driveway that led to the Gilmore house and Jess took a hold of Rory's hand as they climbed the porch steps. Rory looked up into Jess' eyes expectantly when he gave her hand a little squeeze. He wrapped his other arm around her back and pulled her into the most protective, comfortable, and loving hug she had ever had. She responded by hugging him back and moving into him until they were molded together. Jess kissed the top of her head and she looked up to smile at him.  
  
Rory raised herself up to him and kissed him sweetly on the lips. Then, she pulled back to see his reaction. He pulled her abruptly toward him again, startling her. After a second of shock, Rory responded to his passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around his back as his lips moved rhythmically against her own. He pried her lips apart and begged momentarily for her to allow him in. She replied quickly and soon Jess was exploring her mouth openly. Rory pulled back for air a moment later and she stared at Jess with a smile on her face. He looked disappointed that she'd pulled back, and his eyes showed a glint of eagerness to kiss her again.  
  
"I have to go." Rory didn't want to leave him, his comfort, his reassurance, his love, but she knew that she would have to go before anything else happened. She had promised herself to go slow and even after they'd been going out a while, she still wanted to keep her promise.  
  
"No, Rory, don't go. Look, I got carried away, I'm sorry. Don't leave."  
  
"Oh, Jess, that's not it. That's not it at all. I wouldn't have let you do that if I hadn't wanted you to. I just have to go."  
  
Jess still looked a little concerned, but he nodded and kissed her cheek. He squeezed her hand one more time with a small smile and started down the porch steeps. Rory watched him as he departed and she was just about to turn and walk inside when she heard him call out her name.  
  
"Rory!" Jess was at the end of her long driveway and he was whispering loud enough for her to hear, but not loud enough to wake people up.  
  
"What?" She whispered back in the same tone.  
  
"Check your email tomorrow at 11."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"Just trust me." He smirked at her look of bewilderment and added, "It'll be worth it. Goodnight Rory."  
  
"Goodnight Jess." 


	2. The Email

Title: Midnight Meeting (Chapter 2) Author: Sirius Rating: PG Spoilers: None Pairing: R/J Summary: Jess comes to find Rory in the middle of the night.  
  
Rory had a tough night's sleep, filled with anxiety for the following day. She knew it was just an e-mail, probably just a book recommendation like their usual e-mails revolve around, but for some reason, she had the idea that it wasn't. After sleeping till 9 o'clock, Rory got out of bed, ironically exhausted from trying to sleep more. To wake herself up, she took a long shower.  
  
When her shower was over, Rory made her way into the kitchen, where her mom sat, staring into space with a silly grin on her face while idly sipping coffee.  
  
"What are you smiling about?"  
  
"I was just thinking."  
  
"About?"  
  
"Well, you see, there was this chicken I saw on TV. And I wondered, 'What kind of chicken is green?'" Lorelai had a questioning look on her face as she spoke and she continued to stare off into space.  
  
"Was the chicken on the TV green?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then what made you wonder "What kind of chicken is green?'"  
  
"Before the chicken commercial, there was a commercial for green beans."  
  
Rory pulled a mug out of the cabinet and shook her head at her mother, who continued to believe that she made perfect sense. "Ah."  
  
"Then I started wondering, is the Jolly Green Giant real?"  
  
"Oh boy, here we go." Rory rolled her eyes and poured herself a cup of coffee.  
  
"But then I remembered, well, he's a giant. So, people would see him and be able to point him out."  
  
"The fact that he's a totally green man is beside the point though right? That wouldn't make him stand out or anything, would it?"  
  
"Of course not. Haven't you seen those people on Ripley's Believe It Or Not? All of them are weird looking and have weird talents, that doesn't set them apart."  
  
"Actually, that's the point of the show, they do stand out because they have weird talents."  
  
"Anyways, back to the Jolly Green Giant. I was wondering, how do you really know he's jolly? I mean, in all the pictures we've seen of him, he could have been faking the smile."  
  
"That's if he even exists, which he doesn't."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"How do you know that Elmo doesn't really exist? It's all pretend Mom. Advertisement." With all her might Rory tried to reason with her mother, but this was another one of those endless battles that had no point.  
  
"You speak lies! Elmo? He's my friend! He and I go way back!"  
  
"And he's never told you the truth? That's a shame."  
  
"No! Now I need coffee!"  
  
"You've got some right in front of you."  
  
"Not good enough, we need Luke's. Be ready in five."  
  
"Okay."  
  
The pair strolled arm-in-arm down the streets of Stars Hollow twenty minutes later and opened the door to the diner. A bell tinkled above their heads as they walked in and perched on stools by the counter.  
  
"Coffee!" Lorelai moaned in her most obnoxious tone.  
  
"Hold on," Luke mumbled in a grumpy voice.  
  
Lorelai shot a confused look at Rory and said, "Well now, looks like he's got a bee up his bonnet."  
  
"Looks like it."  
  
Luke made his way over in a huff and set two mugs of coffee in front of the Gilmores.  
  
"Here."  
  
"Thanks for the enthusiastic service buddy."  
  
"I would be more perky except that Caesar is sick and Jess, the little twerp, took off this morning without telling me."  
  
Rory looked up at the sound of Jess' name and was shocked with what she heard. He took off? She'd just seen him last night; he didn't say anything about leaving. Where'd he go?  
  
"Where'd Jess go?"  
  
"Beats me. He just left a note that said he'd be gone this weekend but that he'd close up every day next week to make up for it. More like every day next month in my opinion."  
  
Rory mulled this over in her head. Gone for the weekend? That still didn't answer where he'd been. Wait, last night he told her to check her e- mail at 11 o'clock today. That meant that she had forty-five minutes left until she could check it. Would his e-mail say something about where he was?  
  
"Oh, Luke, I'm sure he didn't mean to inconvenience you. Something must have come up."  
  
"Right, Jess, not mean to inconvenience me. Sure, that'll be the day."  
  
"Come on Luke. He said he'd be gone the weekend right? So when he comes back, talk to him. You should at least see if he had a good reason before you get mad at him."  
  
Luke's face softened at Rory's concern, but that still didn't replace the anger he felt for Jess abandoning him on a weekend shift.  
  
After the girls had had their coffee, they left the diner, Lorelai to the Inn to check up on some things and Rory to the house to read a little. Time passed slowly for Rory as she picked up her book for her Honors English class. The words on the page ran together like colors in a water cup after the water had cleaned too many paint brushes.  
  
It was one of those times where the clock seemed to go slower the more you look at it, antagonizing you and getting on every last one of your nerves. Rory turned on her music, looked at magazines, and sorted her sock drawer. Still, she had ten minutes left. Finally, she decided to go on-line- just to see if he had sent the e-mail early.  
  
Her laptop signed her on slowly, much like everything else had gone that day, and she opened her e-mail account. She had 5 e-mails since the night before when she'd cleared it, and four out of the five were junk. Typical. The last e-mail was from Lane. She thought about answering it, but she figured she wouldn't be able to focus so she just kept it as new.  
  
Rory's fingers tapped on her desktop as she stared at the computer screen. She sighed heavily and frowned. 10:57. Three minutes. This was going to be the longest three minutes of her life.  
  
The volume to her computer was on low, but that didn't stop her from hearing a distant door opening. Someone had signed on. Rory clicked over to her buddy list and saw a very familiar screenname appear- FrequencyNY. Quickly, Rory double-clicked on it to start a chat.  
  
TheClick10: Hey, where were you this morning?  
  
Auto Response from FrequencyNY: Please leave a message after the beep . . . BEEP!  
  
Rory was disappointed that he was gone, but remembered that in exactly one minute and thirty-two seconds, she would be receiving an email from him. Hopefully, it would explain a lot.  
  
After fifty-four seconds, a door closed in the background and Rory saw that Jess had signed off. Wow, he was thirty-eight seconds early! Rory checked her e-mail for the second time that day and saw that she did in fact have an email from Jess. She opened it excitedly and began to read.  
  
Subject: This weekend  
  
From: FrequencyNY  
  
To: TheClick10  
  
Rory,  
  
I've decided to go away for the weekend, that's why I had to see you last night. I figure you already know this because you've stopped by Luke's this morning to get your coffee fix. Anyway, I won't tell you where I am, because I can't. Just know that something came up and I had to go. I'll be back by Monday morning at the latest.  
  
So, since I know you are going to miss me oh so much (wink, wink), I've created a little game for you to play while I'm gone. You have till midnight on Sunday to finish it and there's a surprise waiting for you at the end. This scavenger hunt has nine clues. When you've found each piece to the puzzle, put it together and you'll have the answer.  
  
Your starting clue is this: On the first night I met you, I joked about your books. Yet, I still was stupid enough to take one from you and write in the margins. What book was it?  
  
~Jess  
  
Rory read his email, then read it again, then one more time just to be sure. A scavenger hunt? This was really not Jess. The clue was simple though. She would remember that book till the end of time. Howl. What was she supposed to do now though? How would she get the next clue?  
  
Confused, Rory signed off-line and lay back on her bed. She took Howl from her nightstand where she'd laid it the night before when Jess had come to her window and just stared at it, willing it to give her the answer. She opened the cover and out fell a cardboard puzzle piece.  
  
"Well, that was easy." Rory smiled to herself and at Jess' antics. How had he put the piece there? Did he have accomplices? Hmm . . .  
  
Rory fingered the blank puzzle piece and turned it over. Written very small on the back of the piece was her next clue. This was going to be an interesting weekend.  
  
(A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update such a short chapter! I'm trying to get better at staying on top of this. Anyways, I know there wasn't much content to this chapter, but it set a platform for the next one. I hope you like how this is going, review and tell me! Thanks for reading! ~Amanda) 


	3. The Hunt

**Title:** Midnight Meeting (Chapter 3)

**Author:** Sirius

**Rating:** PG

**Spoilers:** None

**Pairing:** R/J

**Summary:** Jess comes to find Rory in the middle of the night.

        **Recap:** Rory fingered the blank puzzle piece and turned it over. Written very small on the back of the piece was her next clue. This was going to be an interesting weekend.

        Her clue was written on the back of the puzzle piece in Jess' very familiar handwriting. 

        _Clue #2: On the night we met, before I stole a beer from your fridge, I suggested we "bail." How did I plan on doing this?_

        Rory thought back for a second on their conversation. She stood up and walked to where they were standing in her room. He had asked her if the windows opened and she told him they did and explained how. Then he opened them and said they should bail. She'd laughed and said there was nowhere to bail to, since everything in Stars Hollow is closed. 

        The windows! Rory rushed to the window and opened the same one he had. There, sitting on the windowsill was another puzzle piece. She eagerly flipped it over and saw another clue. 

        _Clue #3: The first time you let it slip that you cared about me, I didn't show say it back. If anything, I laughed at you. What was I doing when you said, "I don't mean care care, like care, I just meant if you like me at all, not like like…" _

        Rory remembered that day vividly. She had been going around trying to find her bracelet. When she came home, Jess was there and he was cleaning the rain gutters. The gutters? Would he really make her climb up there to get a clue? She sincerely hoped not. What else did he do that day? He took the Coke with Lemon, she remembered that. Might as well check that. 

        Rory went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Of course they still had some of that Coke. It was disgusting and neither her mom her or would drink it. She checked the top of each can. Nothing. She picked up each can and looked underneath. Nothing. Hmm, where else could the clue be? What else happened that day? She went back to her room, defeated. 

        She flopped down on her bed and sighed. This was exciting, but it looked like she was at the end of her luck. There wasn't anything else she could think of. She knew he wouldn't make her go up and look in the gutters, heck, he wouldn't have even gone back up there to put the clue there. Well wait, when she had said that she cared about him, he wasn't up in the gutters yet, and he was still down on the porch. The porch! That must be where it is!

        Rory hopped up and quickly made her way outside. She replayed their conversation in her mind. He had said that he was trying to get along with her mom, hence the Coke. Then she had gone into the spiel about how if he thought she was someone he could see himself ever talking to, that he should be nice to her. They had been right there by the steps when he been talking. She looked on each step, she went up and looked around the door they had come out of, she looked below the steps, and she looked down the walkway. Nothing! This was getting frustrating. Ah! Why couldn't she find it? 

        "I give up!" Rory yelled angrily. "It's not worth it!"

        In the back of her head, she thought it might be worth it. If she found all the pieces, she could show them to Jess and he'd say she'd won. But really, it wasn't important if she won or not. She stomped off to Luke's in search of coffee. 

        "Luke!"

        He whirled around from behind the counter and looked at her. 

        "Can I please have some coffee?"

        "It's bad for you."

        "I know, but I'm not having a good day. Your nephew left me this stupid game and I can't win."

        "How do you know that?"

        "It's impossible. He's got me going around everywhere trying to find these little puzzle pieces. If I find all of them, I can put the puzzle together and I win. But I'm stuck. I have to find a piece to get the clue to the next one, but I can't find it!"

        "Well, can you get in touch with him? Maybe he'll be nice and give you another clue." 

        Rory smiled at him and put some money on the counter, "Thanks Luke."

        She went back home and signed online. Jess was indeed online. 

**TheClick10:** I'm very frustrated right now and it's all your fault. 

**FrequencyNY**: Sorry, I thought you'd have fun.

**TheClick10**: It is fun! It's just that I'm stuck and I can't the piece. 

**FrequencyNY: **Which one are you on?

**TheClick10**: I found two already, the one in Howl and the one on my windowsill. 

**FrequencyNY:** Wow, good job. And it's only noon. That's skill.

**TheClick10**: Yeah, but now I'm stuck. 

**FrequencyNY**: Hmm, wanna clue?

**TheClick10**: Please?

**FrequencyNY**: Lets see. Where have you looked already?

**TheClick10**: I was gonna look in the gutters but I figured you would be nice enough not to make me go there. Right?

**FrequencyNY**: Yeah, it's not up there. Where else did you look?

**TheClick10**: Um, the porch, and in the fridge with the Lemon Cokes. 

**FrequencyNY**: You still have those?

**TheClick10**: Yeah…we hate them but we won't drink them.

**FrequencyNY**: Oh, okay. Well think back to earlier that day. When I first saw you. I gotta go. Bye. 

**TheClick10**: Bye. 

        Hmm, when he first saw me? Probably when I let him in. Mom was showing me the alarm clock. He commented on my hair. He gave me the CD. The CD! Rory quickly logged off and went over to her dresser where all her CD's were stacked up haphazardly. The Shaggs…The Shaggs…The Shaggs…Come on! Where are you! Shaggs… YES! She quickly flipped the cover open and saw that the CD was in place. No piece. Dang it! Where could it be? She took the flipbook out of the slot and opened it. One fold, two folds, ah ha! The piece! She urgently flipped it over and saw Jess' small handwriting. 

_Clue #4: During the first day of what Luke called "Rory and Jess: The Early Years," we went upstairs and I kept asking if I could get you a drink. What did I say to get you to come upstairs?_

        Rory thought back on that day. She had thought it was cute that he'd squirmed, but at the time, she was as nervous as he was. It had been so embarrassing that Luke had almost walked in on them kissing. The only reason Luke had come up was because they were very un-smooth in their conversation. He'd said, "You know, I've got that _book we were talking about, maybe you wanna come up and look at it?" Or something along those lines. _

        Hmm, a book? Was the puzzle piece in a book? He'd already done that. He wouldn't do it again would he? It might be in their fridge, along with the drink he kept offering her. It was worth a shot. 

        So for the second time that day, Rory went to Luke's. 

        The bell tinkled as she opened the door and made her way to the counter. "Hey."

        "Hey, Ror. Did you find the piece?"

        "Yeah, he was online and he gave me another piece. I think the next one is upstairs, can I go up?"

        "Sure."

        "Thanks Luke." She pushed the curtain aside and made her way up the steps. When she went into the apartment, she looked around; almost sure she would find Jess there. However, he was gone and the apartment was quiet. She felt kind of weird being there alone even though she had permission. 

        "Okay, let's see here, fridge." She opened the door and looked around. She could tell men lived there. She pushed aside Red Bull and Tabasco sauce, but still found nothing. "Hmm. Maybe it really is in a book."

        Rory made her way to Jess' half of the room stood in the doorway, looking around. Now, no matter which way you look at it, this was wrong. She was alone in her boyfriend's room, when he didn't know it. Cautiously she entered and when no alarms went off, she breathed a little easier. She hurried over to his bookcase and sighed. "He's got as many books as I do! I'll never find it. Darn it Dodger! Wait, Dodger! Oliver Twist!"

        She poked around the books until she found Oliver Twist. As she flipped through it, a piece fell out. "Yay!" She turned it over and began to read the next clue. Before she was done though, the phone rang and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Should she answer it? Luke was downstairs, but he was busy in the diner. They don't have an answering machine. What if it's important? Tentatively, she neared the phone. Finally, she picked it up and answered politely.

        "Hello, this is the Danes residence, Rory speaking."

        "Well, well, well, Rory. What are you doing in the apartment?"

        "Jess?"

        "Hey."

        "Hey."

        "Why did you answer the phone?"

        "'Cause it was ringing."  
  


        "Good answer."

        "I thought so. I was up here looking for a clue and I found it, but the phone rang and Luke was downstairs and I thought it might be important and I know I shouldn't have answered you guys' phone but it kept ringing-"

        "Rory, I'm kidding. That's fine. Did you find the clue?"

        "Yeah, the one in Oliver Twist."

        "You didn't think I'd put another one in a book did you?"

        "No, and I found it to be incredibly redundant." 

        "Haha. Okay, well, I gotta go, just tell Luke I'm okay, that's why I called. To check in and stuff. I'll see you tomorrow night. Keep working on the clues. Bye."

        "Bye Jess."

(A/N: Hey guys! Wow, I'm on a roll now. I have rediscovered writing! I hope you all liked this chapter. She's only got a day and a half to find five more pieces. Can she do it? I'll try and update soon so you all can find out! Please review if you feel the need. ~Amanda)


End file.
